Western Region Islet Study Group Meeting Program
Monday, November 28, 2022
7 to 8 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. Session: Beta Cell Development
Moderators: Jose Ortiz, City of Hope; Jen Ikle, Stanford University
Loss of the transcription factor RREB1 reduces cellular insulin content and alters gene expression in pancreatic beta cells
Nicole Krentz, Stanford University
Tyrosine hydroxylase positive beta cells as a paradigm for DNA methylation dependent control of beta cell heterogeneity
Nazia Parveen, City of Hope
Unlocking β-cell replication through the manipulation of αΕ-catenin function
Mark Andrade, University of Washington
The role of Groucho/TLE co-repressor proteins in human beta-cell development
Maria Hansen, University of Colorado
The role of transcription factors in oriented differentiation towards β cells
Luxin Ke, Case Western Reserve University
NKX2.2 and NKX6.1 in human islet cell fate determination
Christopher Schaaf, University of Colorado
The islet aggregation process is controlled by cell adhesion and can influence development of the pancreatic exocrine compartment
Wilma Tixi, City of Hope
Improving stem cell-derived pancreatic islets using single-cell multiome-inferred regulomes
Han Zhu, University of California San Diego
10 to 10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Session: Beta Cell (Dys)function I
Moderators: Brandon Bauer, City of Hope; Yi-Chun Chen, University of British Columbia
P21-activated kinase enrichment in the islet β-cell ameliorates diet-induced glucose intolerance coordinate with increasing insulin gene transcription
Miwon Ahn, City of Hope
Excess cholesterol accumulation in islets induces mitochondrial dysfunction and impairs insulin secretion
Rehana Akter, University of Washington
Cers6 mediated β-cell ceramide accumulation impairs beta-cell function
Jacqueline Bartholomew, Brigham Young University
Investigating the mechanisms of incretin-mediated beta cell responses
Michelle Chan, University of California Davis
Role of CCDC186 in the biogenesis of insulin granules
Amy Clippinger, University of Washington
Inhibitory GPCR signaling drives filamentous-actin reorganization in primary mouse beta cells
Ryan Hart, University of California Davis
Endogenous activators of Nr4a1 expression and activity
Jacob Herring, Brigham Young University
Insights into insulin secretion through the study of hyperinsulinism due to a common deletion on chromosome 9
Jennifer Ikle, Stanford University
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Session: Tech Time
Moderators: Ryan Hart, University of California Davis; Diti Chatterjee Bhowmick, City of Hope
Gene editing in primary human islet cells with ribonucleoprotein-based CRISPR/Cas9
Romina Bevacqua, Stanford University
[18F]MK-7246 for positron emission tomography imaging of beta cells surface marker GRP44
Pierre Cheung, Uppsala University
Utilizing multimodal imaging techniques to connect beta cell metabolism and function
Janielle Cuala, University of Southern California
Single nucleus transcriptome of human pancreatic islets identifies novel gene sets and β-cell subpopulations with dynamic transcriptional profiles
Randy Kang, Mount Sinai Hospital
Modeling islet vascularization reveals microenvironmental components essential for functional maturation of hPSC-derived beta cells
Kim-Vy Nguyen-Ngoc, University of California San Diego
Unraveling endocannabinoid signaling in pancreatic beta-cells with Optically-Cleavable Targeted (OCT)-ligands
Janelle M Tobias, The Ohio State University
Chemical photoswitches to reversibly manipulate cannabinoid receptor activity in endocrine cell types
Alexander Viray, The Ohio State University
Application of fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy to evaluate islet cell metabolism in vivo and in vitro
Zhongying Wang, University of California Los Angeles
3:30 to 4 p.m. Refreshment Break
4 to 6 p.m. Session: Beyond the Beta Cell
Moderators: Maria Hansen, University of Colorado; Wilma Tixi, City of Hope
The adaptor protein Mig6 mediates alpha and beta cell fate
Brandon Bauer, City of Hope
NKX2.2 maintains α cell identity by directly regulating cell specific gene transcription
Elliott Brooks, University of Colorado
CD47, Thrombospondin-1, and SIRPα display cell-specific molecular signatures in human islets and pancreas
Neslihan Erdem, City of Hope
Extracellular matrix stiffness mediates insulin secretion in pancreatic islets via phosphofructokinase activity
Chelsea Garcia, Colorado School of Mines
Beta and delta cells do not communicate via beta cell-like gap junctions
Mohammad Pourhosseinzadeh, University of California Davis
Endothelial regulation of the pancreatic islet: Role of endothelial AGO1 in beta cell function
Alonso Tapia, City of Hope
Transcriptomic profiling of islet macrophages in health and disease
Jane Velghe, University of British Columbia
Incorporating genetic risk and ancestry into characterization of human islets from the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) program
Seth Sharp, Stanford University
7 to 8:30 p.m. Grodsky Keynote Lecture and Dinner
Moderator: TBD
2022 Gerold M. Grodsky Awardee
Bruce Verchere, Ph.D., University of British Columbia
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
7 to 8 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
8 to 10 a.m. Session: Beta Dell (Dys)function II
Moderators: Elliott Brooks, University of Colorado; Joanna Filipowska, City of Hope
Identification and quantification of endogenous trace amines in β-cells – manipulating biochemical pathways
Kaya Keutler, The Ohio State University
PTPN2 regulates mitochondrial function in the context of type 1 diabetes-like stress conditions
YongKyung Kim, University of Colorado
Sox9 regulates alternative splicing and pancreatic beta cell function
Hasna Maachi, University of California San Francisco
Murine pancreatic acinar cells require expression of Tff2 to support beta cell development and function during aging
Jose Ortiz, City of Hope
CHD4-mediated transcriptional regulation of pancreatic beta cell maturation and function
Dylan Sarbaugh, University of Colorado
Type 1 diabetes patients with protective insulin alleles have a lower risk of developing complications
Rene van Tienhoven, City of Hope
Integration of single-cell multiomic measurements across disease states with genetics identifies mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes
Gaowei Wang, University of California San Diego
Determining the impact of CALCOCO2 loss on human beta-cell function supports a role for autophagy in type 2 diabetes
Yingying Ye, Stanford University
10 to 10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Session: Beta Cell Stress, Death, and Recovery
Moderators: Neslihan Erdem, City of Hope; Nicole Krentz, Stanford University
DOC2b reduces beta-cell stress and inflammation via blocking chemokine ligand expression under pro-inflammatory stress conditions
Diti Chatterjee Bhowmick, City of Hope
Reduced insulin secretion and improved glucose homeostasis in beta cell peptidyl-alpha amidating monooxygenase-deficient hIAPP-expressing mice
Yi-Chun Chen, University of British Columbia
The mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster protein BOLA3 enhances β-cell metabolism and function
Veronica Cochrane, University of California San Francisco
Novel nanoparticle drug delivery therapy to selectively target islet β-cells
Jillian Collins, Colorado School of Mines
The proliferative and functional roles of CEBPa in Ins-1 832/13 cells and primary rat islets
Peter Ellsworth, Brigham Young University
LGR4: GPCR with a novel role in pancreatic β-cell health in basal and stress-induced conditions
Joanna Filipowska, City of Hope
Use of anti-CD3 antibody and harmine plus exendin-4 to enhance remission of recent-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D)
Geming Lu, Mount Sinai Hospital
Cohesin Smc3-mediated epigenetic regulation of functional beta-cell mass
Sneha Varghese, City of Hope
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Hutton Keynote Lecture
Moderator: Lori Sussel, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Barbara Davis Center
2022 John C. Hutton Awardee
The Effect of Challenging Paradigms in Beta Cell Biology
Senta K. Georgia, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Session: Faculty Focus
Moderators: Michelle Chan, University of California Davis; Sneha Varghese, City of Hope
Humoral factors and circulating extracellular vesicles in type 1 diabetes induce beta cell cytotoxicity
Nagesha Guthalu Kondegowda, City of Hope
Antagonistic epistasis of Hnf4a and Foxo1 metabolic networks through enhancer interactions in beta cell function
Taiyi (Diana) Kuo, University of California Davis
Designing strategies to protect stem cell-derived beta cells from immune destruction
Audrey Parent, University of California San Francisco
Novel function(s) of the sweet taste receptor (TAS1R3) in islet beta-cells and skeletal muscle cells
Rajakrishnan Veluthakal, City of Hope
A sustained increase of basal insulin secretion accelerates β-cell failure during insulin resistance
Matthew Wortham, University of California San Diego
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Trainee Award Presentation
Gerold M. Grodsky Award
Gerry Grodsky, Ph.D., has been a central figure in the islet field for many decades. After completing his postdoctoral work at Cambridge in 1955, he joined the faculty at University of California San Francisco, where he has remained since. He was a pioneer in the development of the insulin radio immunoassay. His group has contributed a great deal to our understanding of mechanisms involved in the synthesis, storage and secretion of insulin, with emphasis on the kinetics and quantitative relationships of these mechanisms. From these studies came the description of the fast and slow phases of insulin release and the hypothesis that insulin is stored in compartments of differing availability for release. The rapid phase of insulin release was shown to be vital in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and this discovery has been critical for the design of the closed-loop artificial pancreas, as well as faster acting beta-cell secretagogues, and fast absorbing insulin preparations. Grodsky has received numerous awards over his career and several award lectures have been named for him, including this WRISG award recognizing a leader in the islet biology field. He has been a constant presence at the Western Region Islet Study Group since its inception.
John C. Hutton Award
John C. Hutton, Ph.D., was an internationally acclaimed leader in diabetes research. He trained in labs all over the world including Bolivia, Brussels and Cambridge. Upon joining the faculty at the University of Cambridge in 1979, his research moved to the molecular cell biology of insulin secretion and the discovery of biomarkers of β-cell function and disease. In 1996, Hutton joined the Barbara Davis Center as its research director and expanded his research program to include human immunology and translational diabetes research. His laboratory was responsible for the discovery of many of the new β-cell targets of diabetic autoimmunity, including Imogen 38, phogrin (IA2-β), IGRP, and ZnT8 (SLC30A8). Using a combination of genetically manipulated animal models and studies in human subjects, he increased our understanding of pancreatic islet biology in the context of type 1 diabetes. Shortly after he moved to Denver, Hutton catalyzed the establishment of the West Coast Regional Islet Study Group (WRISG) meeting to promote interactions between islet biologists and their trainees. Unfortunately, in 2012, at the height of his career, Hutton died of cancer. In 2019, the WRISG John Hutton award for a promising early-stage investigator was established to honor his memory.
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